Cherish smiled looking to Imani and holding her hand out, "After you." She expressed. Imani led the way towards the kitchen of the house.
Simon could tell something was amiss with Jim and was about to ask him what it was when Margaret approached everyone else on the deck, "Look who I found!"
Simon Sr. dropped everything he did to see her as he rubbed the back of his hand against her wispy hairs, “How’s my grandbaby, hm? How is she doing? You know I missed you, right?” he asked rubbing her cheek.
Egged on, Jasmine gave a giggle though Jim didn’t look very happy. No, he was confused. His eyes turned to Simon with a look of distrust, “Who is that…”
Jr. cut off his sentence as he rocked in Jim’s arms and gave eager grunts when he saw Jasmine. Simon swallowed hard as he wondered why Miriam and Jack hadn’t mentioned her before he cleared his throat, “Her name is Jasmine and she’s my daughter.” He claimed. Seeing Jim’s eyes widen, he was quick to correct himself, “Not by blood, Jim. I didn’t do that…”
Despite the explanation, Jim didn’t look relieved. Shaking his head quietly, he kept to himself. He missed Emily and the pain on his face showed; especially today. Jim held Jr. close and wasn’t willing to let him go near Jasmine; turning slightly away. Margaret eyed the way Jim reacted and could already tell what side of the line he was on.
Miriam climbed the steps behind her and rubbed along Jim’s back, thankfully she was the distraction he needed, “Isn’t he so handsome. I know he looks just like Simon, but I like to think he’s inherited our eyes. They sparkle and shine, don’t they?” she asked.
Margaret wet her lips while Jasmine climbed over to her grandpa now. She rubbed her hands together before she cleared her throat and leaned into Simon’s ear, “Be patient with Jim, Miriam told me that he took Emily’s death to heart. Telling him about Jasmine might be a bit insensitive to his feelings. Especially since he’s missed out on so much.” She whispered while rubbing her son’s back.
Simon understood Jim’s perspective to a degree. It was known he was very close to Emily and hadn’t been in much contact since she left the earth.
Looking back at him, Jim stared down at Jr. and rubbed his soft cheek. He searched for Emily’s features, but didn’t see any of her in him. Still, he played along with his aunt and nodded for her sake, “Yeah, yeah I see it. He’s a really handsome kid and he smells nice too. You smell nice, Little Simon.” He said. Lifting him up, he gave sniff and smiled again as he tried to set his feelings aside. It wasn’t a good time to confront his aunt and uncle, so, for now, he’d put his feelings away.
Simon tried to bridge the gap between them, “Hey Jim, I’m going to the coolers, can I get you anything?” he asked
Jim gazed at him and relented, “A coke would be great.” He said.
Nodding and feeling better about relations for a moment, Simon turned and made his way towards the row of boxes and dug around. He grabbed a few cans for himself, Jim, and Cherish…wherever she was. He made it a point to check in on her soon. Giving Jim his drink, he sat beneath an umbrella while Jim and Miriam showered Jr. in love.
Cherish rubbed her hands together as Imani leaned against the side of the counter, “I can’t believe it’s been a year already! Hey, I was wondering, did you want to go out on an outing with Simon and a couple of other coworkers? I think I want to have a like a little get together…” Imani then leaned in with a mischievous grin, “…with the ones I like at least.” She stated with a laugh.
Cherish chuckled under her breath while she pulled out a pitcher of pink liquid she assumed was the giggle juice Margaret made. From the smell of liquor wafting from the opening, it was confirmed, “Do you want to try any of this?” she asked.
Imani tilted her head to the side as she watched Cherish approach the cupboard, “As sure as the sky is blue.” She replied.
Causing another laugh to slip from Cherish’s mouth, she pulled down two glasses and poured them up a generous amount of the drink. She slid the glass across the countertop before returning the pitcher to the fridge. Both women tipped the edges of their glasses together and took a sip. On cue, they mimicked one another with their eyes squeezing shut.
Imani shook her head as the sweet warmth cascaded down the center of her chest, “Shit! I’m going to have to get a recipe for that!” she exclaimed.
Cherish laughed, “Oh man, I’m going to have to come back to that for my birthday.” She said with a nod to herself, “Happy birthday to me.” She added taking another drink.
As Imani went into a few scandalous details of what happened at the office when Simon wasn’t there, the half bathroom flushed, and the door opened. Susan emerged from the room and dried her hands hearing women’s voices; one she particularly couldn’t stand. Dressed down in a pair of slacks and a flowy top, she stepped from the shadows and both women lost what they said. Susan gave a curt smile before she shook her head, “Hello, hello.” She stated as kindly as she could.
Imani took a soft drink and looked to Cherish, “What the hell…”
Cherish’s eyebrow tweaked slightly before she cleared her throat and gave a half wave, “Hello, Susan. I’m shocked to see you here.” She stated.
Susan gave a slight chuckle as she rolled her eyes away and glanced
